Civil War draft wheel; cylindrical drum with a rectangular, lockable hatch and an iron and wood handle, set on trestle frame with bracket feet and a turned stretcher; brass plaque on side. [3,606 registration cards with names of draft-eligible men, originally found in the drum, are held by the N-YHS Library].

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This drum-shaped wheel was used in the draft lottery for the Civil War held on July 13, 1863 in the 7th Congressional District, comprising the 11th and 17th Wards of New York City (the East Side below 14th Street and above Rivington Street). The draft lottery, part of the nation's first conscription act, touched off the worst urban riots in American history.